Sohma Mad House
by rockangel160
Summary: Akito has been in a very sadistic mood recently. Therefore he has set up a series of "games" for the zodiac. Now, the Sohma family will learn a new definition of pain and suffering. No Zodiac will be spared. WARNING: Your favorite zodiac WILL be hurt.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

A/N: The idea is kind of like SAW, but let me get it straight that I never saw any of the movies, but I do know he makes traps for people, and that's the idea. Maybe not for this chapter, but certainly in another one. If you don't like it, you are free to express it, but please don't call me names. I'm actually sorta sensitive to hate mail that gets personal.

**FIRST: YUKI, YOHRU, KYO**

Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo all were kneeling in the Sohma Main House waiting for Akito to walk in. Then, the door slid open, and the head of the house strolled in. He didn't seem to be angry. Why were they called here, anyway? They thought Akito didn't mind Tohru living with them.

_Oh no, he isn't…changing his mind, is he? _All three of them thought. They had spent far too much time together to have her mind wiped _now_. The last thing they wanted was to lose Tohru, the girl who showed them kindness, the one that brought light into their dark world. They had been through thick and thin, and now each of the two boys was beginning to feel like more than just her friend. The worst thing in the world is losing their history together…or is it?

Akito marched in front of her zodiac and the girl and looked at their anxious faces.

"Heh heh, look at you. You look at me as if I am putting you to death. Your eyes are filled with fear and worry. I thought you knew I only have love for my zodiac, even if I do get a little rough. I don't mean it." Akito said. That didn't make the three teenagers any less nervous. It was only a matter of time before Akito exploded.

"Well maybe we wouldn't be so nervous if you didn't also hurt people when you call them." Kyo said at an impulse. Yuki and Tohru shuddered at the cat's unwise choice of words. They bowed their heads and looked away as they waited for Akito's rampage to begin. Surprisingly, Akito didn't get upset, but only chuckled.

"Oh my little monster, you know, normally, I would be very upset right now at your hurtful words. That's what you were all expecting, weren't you?! To see me kicking and screaming and leave someone bleeding?!" Akito stopped for a moment to regain his cool, "But, lucky for you, I'm in a good mood today. For, you see, I've found a fun new activity, and you're all here to play with me!" Akito said with a mischievous smile. Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru felt like their heart was being ripped out, especially Yuki. He had a colorful memory of what happened whenever Akito wanted a play a "game".

Then, Ritsu was summoned by Akito into the room. Ritsu seemed very scared and guilty as he brought in two rectangular boxes. On his way out, he whispered an apology to each of the teenagers. Ritsu's apologies were a dime a dozen, but something seemed different about this one. Akito opened the two boxes to reveal each one's contents. They each held a leather whip, but these were special. They split into 6 different directions, and at the end of each strap was a piece of sharp metal that could pierce through human flesh. Akito a whip in each hand and stepped in front of Yuki. Yuki bowed his head, and started to hold his breath. He waited for Akito to strike him, but that didn't happen.

Suddenly, Akito grabbed Yuki's arm and jerked it into the air. However, instead of striking his bare arm, he actually _placed_ the whip into Yuki's hand. Yuki looked up in shock and confusion as he noticed Akito's little gift. Was Akito actually _giving_ him the whip? Tohru and Kyo were speechless as well. This couldn't be happening; it must be a dream. Akito made another surprising move when he placed a whip into _Kyo's_ hand! Then he ordered his zodiac to rise.

"Are you…going to make us…fight each other?" Yuki asked. Akito chuckled again.

"Do you really think I would go through the trouble to call you here and take up my precious time just to watch what you do at home everyday? Please, that got boring years ago. Of course you're not going to fight each other. Now, since you are _my_ zodiac, the blood in your body forces you to everything _I_ say, right? Well, right now, I want you both to whip the girl." Akito said.

"WHAT?!" All three said in unison. They _knew _he was up to something! They just didn't expect him to go this low. He was asking them to _hurt_ Tohru, their angel!

"You heard me! Now, do it! You **have** to whip her! I **COMMAND** you!" Akito ordered without sympathy. Kyo and Yuki stared into space as they slowly crepted towards the frightened Tohru. They each held their arm up with the whip, but they tried to resist with all their power the voice in their soul that obeyed God's every command.

"DO it! Do it, **now**!" Akito shouted as he got impatient.

"It's alright, you guys. I can take it. I know you don't have a choice. It's okay. I'll…I'll forgive you, I promise." Tohru said trying to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. But, Yuki and Kyo saw them anyway, and they felt great lumps in their throats and tears in their own eyes as they lost their battle with the spirits. Finally, their arms came down and the metal hit Tohru's back with a great THRACK!

She flinched at the pain, but regained her strength quickly before Akito ordered that they continue until they were told otherwise. One after another, the leather straps smacked her back hard. It made her nerves tingle, and muscles weaken. It was bearable until the sharp metal tore the fabric of her uniform, and exposed her skin. Then, the pain really started. This time, the metal came in contact with her skin, and pierced her smooth fair-toned back. The sensation was heart-wrenching, and she cried out in pain this time. Then, she hurdled into ball on the floor, and smacked herself for making such loud noise. Now Kyo and Yuki _knew_ she was in great pain, and that only made it harder for them. They wanted to stop, but their arms were not connected to their thoughts, only the spirits. No matter how hard they tried, they could not control the arm that caused her so much pain. They just wanted to rip the arm out of its socket and throw it into fire for bringing Tohru so much distress. That was not what was happening though.

Their arms continued to strike her as she lay on the floor. Every strike felt like a tear at her heart. Since her uniformed had been torn to shreds, the whips' ends tore her flesh and blood drizzled down her spine. Her muscles spazzed and her eyes would not let her hold back tears any longer. She cried silently, but after a while her intense pain was audible to everyone in the room. Her cries soon began to make tears flow down Yuki and Kyo's faces, and it put a smile on Akito's face.

"Alright, that's enough, boys. You may stop." Akito said with his evil smile. Yuki and Kyo threw their whips to the ground, and fell to their knees in shame and anguish. Kyo tried to attack Akito, but Yuki and Tohru held him back until he backed off and threw himself to the ground.

"Well, that sure was entertaining. I only wish you hadn't left so much blood on the floor. You've satisfied me, and now you may go." Akito said as he walked out of the room leaving the others alone. Kyo and Yuki tried to comfort Tohru as much as they could without actually embracing her as the three crutched on the floor, crying together.

A/N: I know most of you hate me right now. I may have come up with the idea for this story because I am depressed about moving to a new town, and it really gave me a sadistic streak. I just hope some people found it worth their time to read, and that little part inside of them that likes to see people in pain will make them read the next chapter I will write.


	2. Chapter 2 Kisa and Hiro

Hiro's eyes were a blur. All he could see was a bunch of blended colors. He blinked a few times to finally focus his eyes. There was not much to see. It was still dark outside, and he appeared to be in an empty room besides the sink that was all the way across the room. He felt something tugging at his arm. He looked over and saw a long rope tied to a thick knot around his arm, and the rope led out the window he was next to. He could barely remember what happened. The last thing he remembered was Ritsu giving him some juice, and then falling asleep. Ritsu must've been clumsy enough to mix something up in the juice. Actually, it didn't appear to be an accident; it must've been on purpose. But, why would Ritsu want to put him on a sleeping drug? He must've been forced to do it. That could only mean one thing.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a dark figure walked in.

"Akito, what are you doing? What do you want with me?" Hiro snapped.

"My precious ram, you're so smart. You've already figured out it was me. Well, to answer your question, I've decided to play a game with you. I have placed you in this room with a sink. I am going to turn the sink on just a little so that it drips. I want to see how long you can take it. And as a little bonus, I'm putting this rotting meat here to fill the room with a disgusting odor." Akito revealed his plan.

"So you're expecting me to crack because some stupid water and meat? You know, I can just go over there and turn the sink off." Hiro said unimpressed.

"Oh, I don't think you'll be moving far from that spot. You've noticed the rope attached to your arm, haven't you?" Akito said with his mischievous smile.

"No, I don't think I have. It's only been cutting off my circulation." Hiro said sarcastically.

"Well have you bothered to see what is at the end of the rope?" Akito said. Hiro saw the rope only got outside be a small crack in the window, and then he looked to see what was outside. It was too dark to see, but he did notice the rope going to a pole, and then tied to a figure suspended above the power lines. He just couldn't make out what the figure was.

"Here, maybe these will help you see." Akito said as he handed a pair of night-vision binoculars to Hiro. As Hiro looked through, he could see that the figure tied above the power lines was…Kisa! She was only a yard or two away from the power lines, and she was as scared as ever.

"Somebody help me! Mom! Hiro! Anybody!Get me down!" Kisa cried out as she kicked around. Hiro's heart skipped a beat.

"If you move to the sink or try to go out the door, your string will pull her into the power lines. I suggest you stay where you are." Akito explained.

"Kisa, NO! She… she won't be up there for long! Someone will find her and let her go!" Hiro shouted. Akito just cackled.

"My dear creature, we are miles away from the main house in this open field, and it's midnight. It'll be several hours before anyone even knows you're missing. Don't worry, at 8:00 sharp, I will send out a search party for you, and they will free you two. That is, if you can wait that long. So prince, can you save your princess?" Akito said. Then, he left the room and shut the door leaving the room in complete darkness besides the light of the moon. Hiro slumped down in his spot. What was he to do? He couldn't leave Kisa up there! She was scared and alone. However, if he tried to move away from his spot, he would only hurt her, which was the last thing he wanted to do. All he could do was wait here until morning. _It's actually kinda lame for Akito; he expects me to freak because of some stupid water and smelly meat! _Hiro thought. He considered falling asleep to pass the time, but how could he sleep when Kisa's outside suspended under power lines? Not to mention, the smell and the sound of water dripping was a little annoying. He spent the first couple hours just waiting, and smirking at how he expected to show Akito that a dripping fossit and stench do no bother him. Every few seconds, he looked outside to check on Kisa. He was so worried for her. She would just hang there calling for help, but no one was around to hear her. Shortly after Akito had left, Hiro called out to Kisa, but it didn't seem like she could hear him.

Meanwhile, out in the power lines, Kisa was shivering due to the cold night weather. She tired to remember how she had gotten here. She had brushed her teeth, gotten into her PJs, and went to bed. That was her usual schedule. Then, she remembered Ritsu had brought her some juice as she crawled into bed, and after she drank it, she fell asleep much faster than usual. She didn't want to think Ritsu was behind this. He had always been so kind to her, and he would never tied her up. When she woke up, she had been suspended on this pole. Had she been kidnapped? All she wanted right now was someone with her. She wanted her mother, Hiro, or Tohru, but how were they supposed to know where she was right now? She didn't even know where she was right now!

"I want to go home!" She cried into the empty sky. Then, she thought she heard someone answer her. She could swear she heard someone calling her name!

"Kisa! Kisa! Can you hear me?!" The voice called out.

"Huh? Who's there?!" She called back in shock.

"It's me, Hiro!" he called from the abandoned shack.

"Hiro! Help me! Get me down! I'm scared!" Kisa cried out. As Hiro heard her plea, pain struck his heart. He wanted to help her, but he couldn't. If he tried, he's probably electrocute her!

"I'm sorry! I can't! I'm…I'm trapped!" Hiro called back.

"But, Hiro! I'm so scared! I want to go home!" Kisa kept crying.

"Someone will find us! I promise!" Hiro shouted. It was the best encouragement he could give her right now, but it didn't make him feel any better. He couldn't stand watching Kisa so alone and frightened, but he felt like a cold monster when he turned away from the window. He wanted to strangle Akito right now, break his arms off, so they will never hit anyone again. However, the spirits cried within him to obey and trust Akito. That was the curse, to be stuck with a lazy, evil brat for as long as he lives.

After about three hours, that water was actually starting to get to him. _Drip, drip, drip._ That was all it did. He tried to brush it off, but it wasn't as easy as it looked. Each drip tugged at his nerves. That smell didn't help. It grew so strong that it made his head hurt. He kept checking his watch for the time, but time seemed to get slower and slower. All he did was stay in his little corner.

Another hour passed, and he was just about to break. _Drip, drip, drip._ The sink would never skip a beat. Hiro clutched his hair as he kneeled on the ground. The smell had messed with his brain so much, he thought the room was spinning. He looked out the window again. When he saw Kisa was _crying_, he ultimately cracked. He was getting out of here, but he couldn't hurt Kisa! He looked at the rope on his arm; it had to come off. That was the only way it would lead Kisa into the power lines. He gnawed at hit, he yanked it, and he cut it with the glass of the window until it finally broke. As the rope left the room, he heard Kisa scream. Hiro heart felt it had just been ripped out. He grabbed the binoculars and looked out the window.

How could he have been so stupid? He saw her lying on the ground, and she must've been several yards in the air! When he cut the rope, she'd fallen! He rushed to the door, only to find it was locked. He tried to beat the door down, but he just couldn't do it. He stared at his only escape route, the window. He started up and jumped through the window making a loud CRASH! It didn't matter that he had just cut his limbs with glass.

"KISA!" He cried out as he ran towards the spot where she had been suspended. He found her lying on the ground, moaning in pain.

"Kisa! I'm so sorry!" He cried as he kneeled down and held her up, and he could not hide his tears. She opened her eyes to see her cousin holding her, and his arm has blood on it.

"Hiro. You're…you're bleeding." Kisa managed to say. Hiro ignored his arm as he tried to comfort her.

"Kisa, are you alright?" He asked her.

"My back…hurts. I think…we need…Hatori." Kisa said trying to get up, but it was hard with her aching back.

_No. I did it again. I hurt her again after I promised not to._ Hiro thought to himself. It didn't matter that his arms and legs were bleeding. Kisa's back had been broken because he could not wait 8 hours for some help. He failed her, he failed Akito, and he failed himself.

After a few minutes, they got up and started walking home. Despite the cuts on his legs, Hiro was still able to walk. By the time they got home, it was already 5:30 in the morning. It was a long walk, but it took less time than waiting until 8:00. Before going back to their houses, they went to Hatori's house first. He was very shocked to see a bloody Hiro and a limping Kisa. He treated both of them with great care.

"Who did this to you?" Hatori asked, but neither of them answered, for they feared Akito would be upset if they spilled the beans. Hatori could see by the fear in their eyes why they wouldn't answer.

"Don't tell me. It has to do Akito, wasn't it?" Hatori assumed. With all their power, they were able to make little nods. He sighed and made up an excuse for them.

"Well, I'll tell your parents that Akito needed to talk to you in the middle of the night, but when you were about leave, you accidentally broke through the glass door. Now go and get some rest, you two." He said. They nodded again and left to go home to sleep. Hiro only needed a few bandages, but Kisa would have to wear a back brace for the next month.

Hatori sighed as they children left. Something wasn't right. First, he had to treat Tohru's wounds after she received a whipping from Yuki and Kyo. He still had big questions to that, but he never could find it in himself to question Akito. Then, someone had taken all the sleeping pills from his office. Those things were so powerful, they could knock you out instantly and leave you cold for hours. And now this! Something was wrong, but he could not figure out what exactly was going on.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Was _everybody_ up this early? He opened the door to find Ritsu crying at the front step.

"Ritsu, what's wrong?" Hatori asked.

"I'm so sorry." That was all Ritsu said, and then he whacked Hatori in the back of the head with a club. Hatori fell to the ground and the world seemed to disappear.


	3. Chapter 3 Mabudachi Trio Friend

It was dark, and unusually warm. Ayame's eyes drooped, but they opened to examine the room. He didn't recognize this place at all. He thought he might be in the fabric warehouse, but this place was much too dirty, and it was completely empty. He tried to get up and find some light, but he couldn't. He was strapped into his seat. Also he felt little tiny pokes on his chest, and they sort of hurt. He looked down on himself and found himself in some…needle vest? That's what it was. It was like old-fashion knight armor, but it was completely composed of sharp needles that poked his chest and back. He might actually have started bleeding a little bit. What happened to him? The last thing he remembered was Ritsu's punch. He had heard rumors about the punch, but he refused to believe the drink was harmful. Ritsu wouldn't hurt a fly, literally. When Ritsu was four, he smushed a bee, but spent the entire evening apologizing to the hive for killing their co-worker, and he even threw a funeral for the little bee. Now it was evident that Ritsu was making trouble, but why?

Suddenly, the intercom came on in the dark building.

"Good evening, my proud snake. I hope you enjoyed the refreshments." The voice said.

"A-Akito? Where am I? What's going on?" Aaya could recognize the voice anywhere.

"Well, if you really want to know. I've been in a playful mood recently. I like to play with my zodiac. You know, do little things that make them squirm and such. It's quite amusing. And now I want you to be part of the game!" Akito said over the intercom.

"What do you plan to do to me?" Aaya said a little confused.

"Well, as you've probably noticed, I've placed you in that nice little needle vest, and if you look down, you'll see that there are two sets of balls and chains attached to each of your legs." Akito said connivingly. Aaya looked down to see his legs anchored down by the balls and chains.

"How is _this_ a game?" Ayame said looking at his suit of heavy metal.

"Let me finish. Anyway, what you have to do is get across this entire warehouse, all the way to the end of the path in front of you." Akito explained. Aaya saw the room stretch out into a deep dark abyss.

"Why should I cross that entire way?" Ayame turned his head and crossed his arms.

"I knew you'd be a tough cookie to crack, so I added something, a little motivation for you. At the end of the hallway are three locked chambers. There is one person inside each one, and I think at least one of them is important to you. Here, I'll play a little track from the security, see if you can figure out who it is." Akito played a clip from the security.

"Help! Somebody help me! AYAME! AAAAHHHH! What am I doing here?! Let me out of here! I'll do anything!" a young woman cried out.

"MINE!!! Let her out! She hasn't done anything to you!!!" Ayame rattled his chains, yelling at the intercom. There was no doubt about it, that voice belonged to Mine, Ayame's assistant and close friend.

"I knew she meant something to you. I really know my zodiac, don't I? That's not all, though. She's strapped to an electric chair right now. Don't worry, it's not going to deep fry her, it's just going to give her a little wake up shock. Every 10 minutes you take trying to get to her, she'll get another shock, each being more intense than the previous one. Your time starts now!" Akito finished and then turned off the intercom.

He would get to watch the whole thing from the security room. This old warehouse was Sohma property of course. It had been abandoned almost ten years ago, but he refused to let it be torn down, for he knew it might come in handy one day. He turned to the thermostat, and he raised it up to 100 degrees. That ought to heat up the little needles.

In a few seconds, the snake had managed to slip out of the chair. Aaya started pulling hard on his chains, but he barely moved the two large metal balls. It suddenly felt a little extra steamy. The needles on his chest and back not only poked him, but they burned him, too. It stung very badly, but he needed to get to Mine as soon as possible. He couldn't let her stay in that awful electric chair, he cared deeply about her! It wasn't often that Mine cried, but when she did it was unbearable for him. He hated to hear her cry, but he always tried to be there to comfort her. Now, it was hard to get to her, and every minute he wasn't there was only making her scream. He had only gotten a few dozen meters ahead before the first ten minutes were up.

"That's the end of round 1! That's one more shocking coming up!" Akito announced over the intercom. He tapped into the sound again and played the current track in Mine's chamber.

"OOOWWW! Ahh! Please! Let me out!" She cried.

"NO! Stop it! Leave her alone!" Ayame yelled.

"She'll be fine once you get to her." Akito reminded him. Aaya's knees felt weak when he heard her scream. He couldn't waste a precious moment; he needed to march forward. It was a lot harder than it looked. The heat was cooking him, plus those balls and chains were nearly impossible to move, and the needles were cutting his skin, leaving him bleeding. He continued forward, and this time he got halfway before the next ten minute bell rang.

"That's one more shocking for the woman. This time, I'll raise the power level." Akito announced.

"AAAAAAHHHHH! Ow! OW! Help me, Aaya! HELP!" Mine cried even more.

This really set off Ayame's adrenaline. It didn't matter now that his body was bleeding and burnt all over, or that the metal chains were chafing his legs. He ran to make up for lost time. Soon, he was able to see the end of the warehouse. As he approached the door to the chamber, the intercom turned on, yet again.

"Congratulations, Ayame. You've reached the end of the building. Now you can only choose one person to save. Mine or one of the two other people. Choose quickly, the next shock comes in thirty seconds." Akito said.

"MINE!! SAVE MINE!!" Ayame shouted.

"Don't you even want to know who's behind the other two doors?" Akito asked.

"I DON'T CARE! ALL I WANT IS MINE!!!" Ayame shouted as his knees fell to the ground.

"Suite yourself, snake." Akito said as he pressed the button to release one of the doors. As the door whooshed open, Aaya ran inside to find his dear lady terrified and strapped to a metal electric chair. He freed her from her chains. She fell to the ground, weak from her encounter, but she was still conscious.

"Ayame, I was so frightened! I was just closing up the shop when your cousin came up to me and attacked me! I just want to get out of here!" Mine cried on the floor.

"It's alright, Mine. I'm here now. Everything's going to be O.K." Ayame comforted her as he held her hand. The curse prevented him from giving her a shoulder to cry on. The intercom turned on again.

"It's alright now, miss. I don't need you anymore. You are free to go." Akito told Mine as he unlocked the door that lead to outside. She rushed out of the room with tears still in eyes from the pain and terror. Ayame was about to follow her, but he was stopped.

"Ayame, wait just a minute. I'm not through with you yet. I've decided to set free the other two people who you rejected in order to save your precious woman. Go in and see for yourself who they were." Akito said with a little evil chuckle at the end. The other two doors opened, and the other two hostages were immediately released from their chairs. They walked out, and Ayame gasped when he realized who he had rejected. There before him stood his two best friends, Shigure and Hatori!

Both of them looked at their "friend" with looks of hurt. Shigure was especially upset.

"'I don't care? All I want is Mine?' It didn't even cross your mind that those other two people might be us?!" Shigure mocked him and said with an angry tone.

"Shigure, I…" Ayame stuttered.

"Are we not important to you?! We are the Mabudachi Trio! We made a promise that we'd always BE THERE FOR EACH OTHER!!!" Shigure yelled with sincere tears.

"You don't understand." Ayame tried to explain.

"I understand! That woman must be more important to you than us! All you could think about was your precious Mine! You didn't even stop to listen to who the other two people might be! How could you do that to us?!"

"She was suffering, Shigure!"

"And do you think we weren't?! We were strapped to electric chairs, too! We were waiting for you! We were _counting_ on you!!!" Shigure said.

"Shigure, I'm sorry!" Aaya tried to beg for mercy.

"No! I don't want to hear your apologies! I'm leaving, and don't even think about coming to my house again!" Shigure finished and stormed out of the warehouse. Ayame eyes wept tears of guilt and regret. He turned to look at Hatori, who had been silent the entire time.

"Hatori, please try to understand." He begged. Hatori just shook his head and turned his shoulder coldly and walked out the door, leaving the snake in his misery.

_An hour earlier…_

Shigure and Hatori woke up in two different rooms, each with a big bruise on the back of their heads and attached to electric chairs. They had been brought there by the monkey of the Zodiac, Ritsu. Neither of them had any idea why he would do such a thing. Shigure was struggling to get out of his chair, when a dark figure walked into the room.

"Good evening, Shigure. I hope you are doing well." He said.

"Akito, why am I in this chair? What the hell is going on here?!" Shigure asked in an irritated manner.

"Oh, you silly dog, we're playing a fun game! When Ayame wakes up from his nap, he has to come and save you, but he has to choose between you, Hatori, and that girl he works with." Akito explained. Shigure was a little intimidated, but he tried to hide it with pride.

"Well, Akito, it's pretty obvious he's going to pick either me or Hatori." Shigure said with a little chuckle.

"Oh? What makes you so sure he won't pick that woman from work?" Akito asked with a little smug.

"Well, I'm sure he cares about Mine a lot, but Hatori, Ayame and I have been together since we were in diapers. We're the Mabudachi Trio, and the curse only brings us closer. He'll choose one of us, trust me." Shigure explained.

"We'll see about that." Akito smirked as he closed the door and locked it.


	4. Chapter 4 Ritsu

Ritsu arrived at the abandoned warehouse at 5:00 a.m sharp, just like he had every morning for the past couple weeks. He carried a heavy bag on his back that moved every now and then. As soon as he walked in, the screams of the past rang in his ears. His memory seemed to play back everything that had been going on recently. As he walked down the halls, he could hear Tohru's cries of pain and the slashes of Kyo and Yuki's whips. He fell to his knees, but was able to regain his strength to continue on to the room that was just up ahead. As he got closer to the door, more memories began to flood within his brain. An image of Kisa falling flashed in his eyes, and he could hear glass breaking, he could smell the rotten meat and hear the irritating drips of water. He could see a bleeding Hiro carrying a bent up Kisa down the road. Next, he could feel a hot boiling room and the sense of betrayal, and he could hear the clanging noise of a thousand hot needles and the screams of three young people as many volts of electricity ran up their nerves. Every memory sent a pain at his chest, and he dropped the large bag as he entered the large room.

He went to the storage room to get today's supplies. It required heavy lifting, but he pulled a sheet-covered contraption into the room with the bag. He left the bag and contraption alone to work on some other chores, and the bag had holes in it so whatever was inside it could breathe. He grabbed the bucket and mop out of the shed and headed to the big hallway where Ayame had been. After filling the bucket with water, he started cleaning the area where Aaya had bled. Of course, he hadn't volunteered for this work, but it was demanded of him. A few weeks ago, he was going with his day as usual, until Akito called upon him. As soon as he had gotten to the main house, he started begging for forgiveness, for he must've done something wrong if Akito had needed to spend his precious time with a worthless man like himself. He didn't even feel worthy to call himself a man, either. He wore women's clothes, for Pete's sake! Ayame sometimes wore women's clothes, but he wore them with great pride, unlike Ritsu. However, that was not what Akito demanded. Instead, he told Ritsu about how he had a great plan to entertain himself using his Zodiac, and Ritsu would help him prepare it. He told him of his plans, his series of "games". Ritsu shuttered when he heard these cruel games, but as a member of the Zodiac, he had no choice but to do as Akito wished, and Akito wished that Ritsu would help him. Actually, Ritsu was actually doing all the work. Setting up the traps, kidnapping the victims, and strapping them to the traps; it was all his job. 

Setting up the traps was not easy. He actually hurt himself a few times. When he set up Hiro and Kisa's trap, he socked himself trying to set the handcuffs over the power lines, and he poked himself about a hundred when making the vest of needles. Then after setting up traps came the kidnappings. Some time ago, he broke into Hatori's inventory during a check-up, and took all the sleeping pills. It killed him inside that he stilled hasn't apologized for it yet. He couldn't stand to look into his family's eyes when he served them the sleeping punch. Especially sweet Kisa, she smiled when he brought her a drink, but it hurt inside that this drink would bring her nothing but trouble. He cried when he left her house that day. The worst part wasn't the pain in setting up the dangerous traps, or sedating the family, it was watching their games in action in the secret warehouse with Akito. He had a whole group of TVs set up with the security cameras. He would watch multiple members in pain at the same time.

"You know what's really funny?" Akito said once while Ritsu was covering his eyes from the monitors.

"They are going to blame all this on you. Because, well, you did actually do all the work. You sedated them, you kidnapped them, and you put them in the traps. The thing they'll remember most is that you came to them with your punch. They'll never look at you the same way again! They are totally going to hate you!" Akito said with an eerie chuckle. Ritsu buried his hand his hands in his face. Akito was right, the family would hate him. They would all turn away when he walked into a room. If he did not set them up, the ones he did set up would spread the word. He could never show his face on Sohma property again. This was his torture. This was Akito's plan for him.

Ritsu finished cleaning the boiler room, and returned to the other room. He pulled off the sheet to reveal an old-fashion medieval stretching device. You know, the ones where you tie the hands and feet to each corner, and you pull a lever to stretch the limbs. Then, he unzipped the bag and pulled out the victim for this device. Poor Momiji, Ritsu didn't know if the blonde child would ever smile again after this. He touched the bunny's face as he strapped his unconscious body to the machine.


	5. Chapter 5 Momiji

Momiji Sohma, rabbit of the Zodiac, was known for always looking on the bright side and smiling even during a bad situation. However, there was no light in the dark, humid room that he woke up in this evening. He was always taught in school never to go near strangers with candy. Now he knew don't go near strangers _or_ relatives with candy. He thought Ritsu was just being nice as usual, but as soon as he got the lollipop the monkey offered him, Ritsu shoved a sock over his mouth that apparently contained a knockout gas. Within five seconds, his eyes rolled behind his head, every muscle went limp, and he collapsed on the ground.

He'd heard rumors about Ritsu, but he never believed such crazy junk. Ritsu hurting someone? Not in this century! Although he wanted to think about what Ritsu was up to, he had more important things to think about. What was this room he was in? Why was he strapped to some device? Why couldn't his arms or legs get free? Why was he here? He noticed something weird going on when he saw Kyo and Yuki were unable to look Tohru in the eye. They normally couldn't keep their eyes off of her. Then, when he went to go play with Kisa, he found out she'd been in an accident and had to be in a brace for a while, and Hiro's in a cast. Normally, Hatori will go to Ayame's shop every now and then, but recently he stopped going. When Momiji went to go visit Ayame on Saturday night, he looked kind of lonely. Normally, Ayame and Shigure watch a movie or go out to dinner, but not this Saturday. Whatever was going on, Momiji was part of it, too.

Akito walked into the room to see his bunny very confused and a little afraid.

"Akito?" The bunny asked.

"Good evening, Momiji." Akito greeted as if nothing was wrong.

"Why…am I in this thing?" Momiji asked.

"Well, rabbit, I've noticed you have a problem. You are 15 years old, yet you still are as tall as an elementary school student. If I were that short, I don't know how I could stand the humiliation! So, because I care so much, I'm going to help you. I shall make you taller." Akito explained.

"How are you going to do that?" Momiji was curious of Akito's plan.

"Well, that device you're attached to is an old-fashioned medieval…stretcher. It is attached to your legs and arms. When I crank this gear, it will stretch your limbs, making you taller. Yes, it will hurt, very much, but at least you won't be a munchkin anymore. Now I can't just go and let have all the fun; I need fun, too! So as a little something for myself, I'm going to interrogate you. If you lie, and believe me, I'll _know_ when you're lying, I will stretch it a little more. If you give me an answer I don't like, then I'll crank the thing a little more. If you're telling the truth about something I don't like, that's just too bad for you! Now, shall we begin?" Akito asked rhetorically. Momiji didn't nod or shake; his jaw just shivered.

"Alright, first question, how do you feel about…Tohru Honda?" Akito asked. Momiji paused to think of a truthful answer that Akito would like, but nothing seemed right.

"You have ten seconds, rabbit, or I'm turning the crank." Akito said impatiently.

"Uh…uh…she's really nice?" Momiji stuttered. He peeked at Akito to see if he accepted that answer, but he was not amused. With a stubborn sigh, Akito pulled the crank, pulling the bunny's limbs in different directions. Momiji hissed trying not to show any pain that he was in right now.

"Would you admit that she's stupid?" Akito said. Like it or not, Momiji did get the hint that Tohru wasn't the brightest star in the sky.

"Yes." He said without feeling. Akito looked in his eyes and smiled. For that question, he was spared.

"Good. Ok, now would you say you enjoy being around her?" Akito asked. Momiji didn't know what to do, whether he lied or not, Akito would pull the crank for this one. He figured he'd better tell the truth, so he wouldn't pull for lying _and _a dissatisfying answer.

"Yes." Momiji said as he shut his eyes tightly. As predicted, Akito pulled the crank, and pulled his arms and legs tighter and tighter. This time, Momiji couldn't help but let out a moan of his agony.

"Momiji, have you ever let an outsider into the Zodiac territory?" Akito changed off the subject of Tohru. This completely took Momiji by surprise. Had someone told Akito about Momiji letting Momo in? No matter what, though, he would never rat out on his little sister.

"No." He said trying to sound confident in his answer. He heard that if you believe hard enough, you can beat a lie detector, but he was curious to see if it would work on Akito. Akito looked deep into his eyes again. He was almost convinced, but in the corner of the rabbit's eye was a sign of worry.

"You're _lying_!" Akito shouted as he yanked on the crank without warning.

"OOOOWWWW!! NO!! I'm not!" Momiji screamed as his limbs were yanked. Maybe if he could convince himself, he could convince Akito.

"Stop it! Stop lying! Have you let anyone IN?!" Akito pulled the crank like crazy until the blonde boy would confess. As the gear continued to turn, Momiji lost his strength sooner and sooner. He couldn't take it anymore, He lost his will as he felt his limbs were about to be torn off. He even started to feel a little nauseous.

"AHHHHH! Stop it! STOP IT! YES! YES, I LET SOMEONE IN! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!!" Momiji yelled as if yelling for the world to stop. Half-satisfied, Akito stopped pulling. The blonde boy cried as he realized he'd let his little sister down. Momiji Sohma…was broken. All that was left was the spirit of the rabbit that answered God's remaining questions without hesitation.

"Who did you let in?" God asked casually.

"Momo."

"Momo?"

"My sister."

"How did she get in?"

"There's a hole…in the fence…around my house." Momiji said without emotion, for he had gone completely numb.

"Thank you, Rabbit, that's all." Akito said as he pushed a button releasing Momiji from his trap. He lay there still, for his limbs were so exhausted that they refused to move. Akito left the room giggling in the satisfaction of the information he now had, and left Momiji lying on the floor. He had to remember to call someone to fix that blasted fence.

It took about 15 minutes before Momiji finally had the strength to move. Even so, he still could not walk. That little feeling he had in his stomach earlier had only gotten worse, and he crawled to a nearby trashcan to vomit all the bad feelings out of his system. After he vomited, his body started to feel better, but he didn't know if his heart ever would feel better.


	6. Chapter 6 Kagura

Akito was in Hatori's bookshelf looking for a certain book. He searched row by row, but it irritated him how he couldn't find it. Then, he looked around and noticed something holding up Hatori's chair, the book he was looking for. He removed the big, dusty, old leather book off the ground and opened it up. Just as he was about to read it, Kureno walked in.

"Um…Akito? What are you doing?" Kureno asked.

"I'm looking for…an old recipe." Akito replied.

"What is that?" Kureno asked.

"This is an old family heirloom that only the God of the zodiac may lay eyes on. This book will give me the recipe to make a special drink." Akito answered proudly.

"If you're thirsty, we can just get a maid to make you a drink." Kureno said confused.

"Now, Kureno, the drink I need is a _special_ drink, and it's not for me. It's for…Kagura." Akito said slyly. Kureno left Akito to his business while he tried to figure out what Akito was up to.

In the kitchen, Akito left his special book on the table and grabbed a bunch of materials from the cabinet. Then, he threw them all into a big pot, and stirred it all while it boiled. It wasn't a very hard potion to make, but it was very effective.

Soon the concoction turned into a bright purple color, and that meant it was ready. Akito poured the drink into a pitcher and gloated about it to himself.

"Ah, the nightmare elixir. Anyone who takes a sip of this shall be plagued with the worst of dreams for many nights." He said to the empty kitchen. As he held the drink up, he called Kureno into the room.

"Kureno, I need you to take this pitcher and give it to Kagura." Akito demanded.

"What exactly is this for?"

"Can't I just give my zodiac a gift every now and then? If you must know, I'm giving her this delicious drink because she'd the zodiac member who hasn't given me any trouble. Now, go." Akito explained.

Kureno did as he was told, but he couldn't help feeling a slight uneasiness. Was Akito trying to do something else? After spending many years with Akito, he knew that even innocent seeming gestures had a secret, malicious purpose. Then again, Akito could be pretty unpredictable at times. Maybe, since Akito would be predicted to make some kind of trouble, he was adding a twist by making no trouble at all. All this pondering was making Kureno's brain hurt. Before he had come to a decision of whether or not Akito was planning something, he had already arrived at Kagura's house. He was speechless at first when Kagura opened the door.

"Kureno? It's rare seeing you out here." She said smiling.

"Akito wants you to have this." Kureno said without looking up as he handed the pitcher to her.

"Oh, thank you. Did he tell you what it's for?" Kagura asked a little confused.

"Well, he wasn't clear, but I think he said it's because you don't cause him any trouble. Anyway, I have to go; Akito will want me back soon." Kureno said and turned to leave. As Kagura walked back into the house, she suddenly thought about the weird occurrences that have been happening recently. Rumor has it, Ritsu had been visiting fellow zodiac members, giving them punch, and then they went missing that night, and returned almost completely different people than before. This had Kagura's mother especially worried.

" I wouldn't drink that if I were you. You might be next!" She warned.

" But, Mom, this wasn't given to me by Ritsu, Kureno gave it to me." Kagura said trying to convince her mother and herself that the beverage was harmless.

"That only worries me even more. You know how close that rooster is to Akito, maybe this is part of something Akito's up to. You've seen how the others feel about him." Her mother said.

" Please, Mom, I haven't given Akito any trouble. What could he have against me? I'm only going to take a sip of this." Kagura assured.

"Well, alright, but I'm keeping an extra eye on you tonight to make sure no one comes and kidnaps you." Her mother gave in.

The main reason Kagura wanted to taste the drink was out of curiosity. It had a purplish hue, and it seemed quite quenching. She poured herself a small cup of it, and took a sip. It was quite good actually. It had an exotic taste, like freshly squeezed apple juice, with a hint of lemon. She had heard from maids that Ritsu's punch had knocked out the other almost instantly, so she waited a few moments. She felt neither tired nor weak. She didn't feel like she was going to pass out at all. She figured that the drink really was harmless, so she went on with the rest of her day.

The drink's power, however, kicked in that very night. As she slept, the potion's power took control, and she started to dream. She suddenly felt like it was cold. As she opened her eyes in the dream world, she found herself in some kind of dungeon lying on the floor. She'd been tied up, and she wore nothing but filthy rags. She saw above her were two large guards, each holding a large club.

"Get up." One said in a low, scratchy voice. Kagura tried to stand, but it was too hard with her ankles tied together, and she fell. The guards whacked her hard with the clubs in the back. She rolled into a little ball on the floor, and struggled to pull of her ropes. The guards just picked her up by the arms and threw her against the wall. Her soft cheek hit the cold, dirty wall as she landed in the corner. What was going on? What was she here for? She tried to wipe the dirt off her face with her knee, but she only added more dirt.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and the light of day scurried through the room. Out of the bright light came Kyo, a handsome prince on his black stead. His eyes glistened and his stern face brought a large grin to Kagura's face. Kyo had come to rescue her! She watched him grab his mighty sword and impale the two guards to the hard stone wall. As he finished taking care of the guards, he went over towards Kagura. Kagura was filled with glee when she figured that Kyo would swoop her up and take her away. Her face suddenly turned from glee to shock as he passed right by her without even passing a glance. To her horror, he picked up another girl that apparently was sitting right next to her! The other woman must've been a princess, because she had a sparkling tiara that shined like her gorgeous, flowing blonde hair. Kyo scooped the lady up into his arms and placed her at his side on the horse. Kagura heart shattered when they embraced in a passionate kiss. As they rode off into the light, Kagura tried to call out.

"KY-K-K…" She tried to call out, but something was holding her tongue. She lay there, broken and alone, as her knight abandoned her with another woman.

She jumped up in her bed, and saw that she was only in her room. She clutched her pillow tightly. It all seemed so real. She knew it was only a dream, but the thought of it made her shiver. She tried to fall back asleep, but every time she dozed off, the nightmare only started over again. She tried three times that night to fall into a peaceful sleep, but each attempt was futile. Her eyes drooped and her body cried out for rest, but this time she refused to go to sleep. No matter what, she couldn't have that dream again.


	7. Chapter 7 Haru and Rin

A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to tell you all I felt that this is my best work yet and that all who are fans of this story will be impressed with tonight's chapter.

* * *

The "abandoned" warehouse was actually pretty full tonight. Akito had set up special labyrinth in the last room of the building. The old labyrinth from ancient mythology looked like a children's puzzle compared to this one. It could take a man his whole life to find his way out of this maze. Akito already had in mind the perfect person for this labyrinth, his stupid ox, Hatsuharu. The boy didn't even know how to get to the supermarket! He was so stupid he needed the _cat's _help to find the bathroom. Hmph. _Well I hope the cat enjoyed that experience, because that was the last time anyone will ever need him._ Akito thought. Ritsu had already served his time to Akito. He couldn't possible kidnap anyone else now; no one would even go near him! This time he had Kureno capture Haru. Sure, he didn't feel right about letting Kureno out, but he let that go once he saw Haru's limp body in Kureno's arms at 3 in the morning. What better way to round up an ox than by injecting him with bovine tranquilizer while he sleeps? Hatori's sleeping pills would work anymore since no one in the Sohma property is drinking any mysterious drinks anymore.

Instead of a nice chair, Akito just left Haru lying on the floor of the entrance of the maze and locked the door. Then he went upstairs to his special watch room and waited for him to wake up. It was fun watching the ox snore oblivious to the fact that he has been kidnapped and locked in a large maze. After a while of waiting, Haru finally woke up.

"Good morning, sleepy head! I hope you rested well. You have a lot ahead of you." Akito greeted from the intercom. Haru rubbed his eyes while still in a sleep haze. Did he fall asleep in the closet again? No, wait, he'd never been here before. And that voice, it was… Akito's.

"Akito, what…where…am I…" Haru tried to gather his words as he woke up entirely.

"Well, Haru, you're in the middle of my game. It's not really hard to explain; still I'll speak slowly so you can understand. You…are…in…a...labyrinth!" Akito said mocking him.

"What do you mean I'm in a labyrinth?" Haru said passively. He was still too tired to lose his temper.

"A labyrinth is a maze, stupid. You have to get to the other end. It'll be fun!" Akito explained.

"I know what a labyrinth is, but why am I here?" Haru asked a little annoyed.

"I'm just having a little fun with you, that's all. As your God, I can do whatever I want to do with you. Good luck." Akito said proudly as he turned the intercom off. Haru had heard about the others, and he figured this was his torture and he was getting off easily. Apparently, Akito was mocking his sense of direction, but he shrugged and figure it could be worse. Sure, he might even be in this maze for days, but all he'd get out with is an empty stomach and lack of a good shower once he was out of here.

Akito laughed a very cruel and heard laugh upstairs in his special room.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that at the end of the maze is the horse waiting for you? Ha! Oh, I've never had such a good laugh in my life." He said out loud to the empty room. Yes, there was more to the plan than Haru knew.

_

* * *

_

_Several minutes earlier_

Akito opened the door to the room at the end of the maze to reveal Rin strapped to a large metal chair with a series of syringes aimed at her. She was unconscious at the moment but Akito took care of that with a slap to the cheek. He really did despise the horse. "Whore" was more like it. This wretched girl was always trying to steal the ox away from him. With her curvaceous body and revealing clothing, she'd managed to seduce the stupid ox. The part that angered him the most was that no matter how many times he tried to teach her a lesson, she never learned. She'd done everything to this girl, but she somehow always managed to get the ox back into her arms. She reminded him of his own mother. Yes, she was just like her, which explained why he was disgusted by her. Oh well, maybe _this_ time she'll learn what happens when you mess with Akito Sohma.

"Wake up, you wench." Akito slapped her until she woke up. Rin tried to slap Akito away but she found her arms strapped to the chair. She raised her head and gave a dirty glare to the face before her.

"You. What do you want from me now?" Rin said as she instantly came back from sleep mode.

"Oh, Rin. I didn't think you'd be as stupid as the ox." Akito said.

"Why must you always bring Haru into this?" Rin shouted.

"Because, he belongs to me, and you think he belongs to you. I'm going to make that clear once and for all." Akito said to the bold horse.

"What are you gonna do this time?" Rin said sarcastically interested. Akito smiled because he knew this girl's pride would turn into humility in a few moments. He tapped on one of the syringes.

"This here is a nerve intensifier serum. When injected into your veins, it shall make your nervous system extra sensitive so even the gentlest touch will fill your skin with bitter pain. Every hour, you will be injected with another dosage, each one making you feel worse and worse. The only hope of escape is if the cowboy comes through that door to rescue his horse. Oh, and one more thing, he'll need to get through an extremely difficult maze first. See you later!" Akito explained and then left back to his room.

Rin sat there completely shocked, how the hell had Akito come up with this? This seemed like something out of the movies that no one would have the heart to try. Of course, this was Akito she was dealing with. He had no shame, and wouldn't feel an ounce of guilt about anything. He's the only one on this planet who would dare pull something like this. She didn't know what to do right now. She couldn't break from her chair, and the timer read 2 minutes until the first injection. She just hoped Akito wasn't lying about Haru coming for her.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the maze, Haru walked through the different pathways casually, completely unaware of Rin's capture. He was meeting a lot of dead ends, ones that he felt like he kept on running into over and over again. He figured he was in no rush, so he just started walking around randomly hoping he would find a new pathway.

As the timer rang once, one of the syringes on the chair moved towards Rin's arm. She tried to move it out of the syringe's path, but her attempts were futile as the sharp needle penetrated her fair skin. She hissed at the sting, but she felt no affect of the serum. Then, she suddenly felt the air get colder and her heart beat faster as the liquid took its toll. Now she could feel the nerves on her skin get more sensitive as her muscles shivered due to her being extra sensitive to cold air. She tried to move her leg, but she only felt a sting of pain as she tried to lift it. It jolted back down on the ground. If this was just what the first injection felt like, then she wasn't looking forward to the second one. _Haru, where are you?_ She thought.

Haru was still at the beginning stages of the labyrinth, trying to figure out which walls he'd run into before. He suddenly came up with a new idea. He would take a bit of mud from his boot and place it on every wall he ran into, so he would know which routes he had taken and which ones he hadn't. It kind of worked, except that he kept bumping into the same mud-marked walls again and again. All this wall-marking had spent another hour of _her _precious time.

* * *

Rin couldn't even budge, let alone avoid the second syringe. Tears started to form in her eyes as the syringe's needle stab through her arm felt like a stab at every part of her body. She felt pain before, but never to this extent. Now it was even starting to hurt to breathe. She couldn't call Haru's name, for it hurt for her to talk. All she could get out was a little whimper of pain every now and then. She prayed that Haru would come for her and soon.

* * *

Haru, meanwhile, had used his mud technique to make it halfway through the maze, but each turn got more and more confusing. His thoughts turned away from the maze for a moment and onto Akito. Why was he letting him off so easy? He knew of Akito's methods, and they were a little more…cruel. What if this was only part of the test? What if there was another part to his plan that he didn't know about. He pondered about this while he continued on with the maze, and before he knew it, another hour had passed by.

* * *

Rin's bones shivered even more as the timer's bell rang again, and a third injection was headed her way.

"No…no, no, no…please…" She whispered to herself as the needle came closer. She didn't know if she could bare another injection. Her skin was already pale, her hair was losing its luster, and her muscles could not move one millimeter with feeling like she had been shot by a military machine gun. She couldn't stop the syringe and it buried itself into her delicate skin once more. The feeling of raw pain spread from her arm to her head, to her hips, down her legs, and throughout her whole body. She couldn't hold back her voice anymore, and even though it made the pain even worse, she let out a mighty scream.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!HARUUUU!!" She cried out as hot tears poured out her weak eyes and ran down her white cheeks. She continued to cry loudly, as every heart beat felt like it sent strong acid through her body instead of blood.

* * *

Haru perked up his head as he heard the scream from outside.

"That…was… RIN!" He shouted as his black side emerged from within. He started running through the maze, but couldn't find his way through. Hearing Rin's cries only made him more anxious and desperate. He realized he could not find his way out the old-fashioned way and he tried a new method. With his adrenaline pumping, he kicked down every wall standing in his way as he reached towards the sound of Rin's voice. He understood perfectly now. Akito had pulled Rin into this, without telling him. He finally found the door that led to the room Rin was in. He kicked down the door and found Rin barely conscious as she lay the strapped to the chair.

"Rin! What happened to you?!" Haru explained as he saw Rin in her trap. He unleashed her from her chair, but he still didn't realize the amount of pain touching would bring to her. As his arms reached to embrace her, she muttered,

"No…stop…don't…come…any…" But Haru already had her in his arms. The sensation that once calmed her was now had the reverse effect as his tight hug brought a life-size amount of agony to every inch of her body.

"OW!OOOOWWWW! STOP! LET ME GO! LET ME GO, DAMN YOU!!" She yelled so loud the critters from underneath could hear her. The intensity of the painful hug had caused her so much stress, she transformed. As she turned into a black horse, her reflexes from the rough touch made her kick Haru in the nose sending him flying into the wall. They both hit the ground with a giant thud. After a few minutes of speechlessness, Rin transformed back into a human as she lay there, cold, naked, and unable to move.

"Rin?! What's wrong? What happened to you?!" Haru asked as he wiped the blood from his nose.

"Don't…touch…me. It…it…hurts." That's all she could manage to say, for her throat was giving up on her and she couldn't speak anymore than that. She cried as repercussions of Haru's hug hit her body hard. Haru sat there in the corner with tears rolling down his face. He couldn't bear watching Rin suffer on the ground like that. He wanted to help her, but what could he do? He couldn't even touch her without hurting her. Her screams still rung loudly in his head like church bells. He tried to get as close as he could without touching her. Before, she was the only girl that he'd ever wanted to touch, ever _could_ touch, and he felt lucky that although the curse was separating them from others, it was bringing them together, as if a sign that they were meant to be together. Sure, their physical wounds would heal within time, but their memories lasted forever, including the one where touching each other brought the worst of pain.


	8. Chapter 8 Kureno and Guest

Akito watched with excitement as the videotape of the game he set up for Rin and Haru played in his room. He had Kureno sitting right next to him who was just looking down at the floor. Akito really enjoyed this tape the most; she'd re-watched it 5 times this week. Her favorite part was when the stupid cow didn't realize that Rin was ultra-sensitive, so he grabbed her sending her nervous system on a trip to hell and back. She always paused the tape at exactly 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 34.58 seconds because that was the moment where you could see Rin's climax of suffering, and Haru's confused, scared, and hurt face at the same time.

"Ha! Oh, that stupid cow. He should have known I didn't let that horse off easily. Especially after all she's put me through. I hope they've learned their lessons. Have you heard any word about them now?" Akito asked Kureno.

"Rin has been hospitalized again, but the doctor says she's worse than before. Her nervous system has suffered permanent damage and now she's lost all feeling in her left arm. They're working very hard to make sure she doesn't lose control of any other body parts. Within a few weeks, she'll be able to speak again. Hatsuharu visits her often, but he doesn't say anything. They say he hasn't touched her since the incident, and after he leaves, he sits in the waiting room for hours and cries talking about how had he not wasted time like that, she probably still would have use of her arm." Kureno reported with a sense of guilt in his voice.

"Any news on the rest of the zodiac?" Akito asked.

"Well, Kyo and Yuki still haven't forgiven themselves. Tohru claims she's forgiven them completely, but apparently they don't believe her. Kyo got suspended from school for a month because he was caught with a knife in his pocket. They still aren't sure what he was planning to do with it, but signs point to inflictions of self-harm. Yuki snuck out into the woods for a few days, but he's returned except with a horrible case of pneumonia. Kisa is going to get her back brace taken off next week, but Hiro still has large scars on his arms and legs. He's worn nothing but long sleeves, even when it's 95˚ outside. I hear every now and then they'll greet each other, but not much more than that.

The Mabudachi Trio hasn't come together in a long time, and the maids say Ayame has cut his hair and stopped wearing clothes from his shop. Hatori hasn't said a word to anyone at all and sometimes just cancels an appointment for no reason. Shigure doesn't leave his house at all anymore and he balks when he hears anything about snakes. No one, not even the maids, would go near Ritsu. He disappeared two days ago, and the police are still out there looking for him. Momiji's grades have been slipping, and the maids say he died his hair brown. The other day he got detention because he got into a fight with another boy. Kagura hasn't slept in two weeks, and she walks around like a zombie. The doctor says he can't help her because the probably is that she refuses to sleep instead of not being able to sleep. Her skin has gone deathly pale, and if she continues, her organs might even start to fail." Kureno said with sorrow hidden inside of him. The only reason he knew all this was because of the gossip the maids had told him.

"Hm. Sometimes I even amaze myself with how much influence I can put on them. This game really is fun." Akito said smiling. Kureno looked up at her. Her family was suffering, possibly even dying, and didn't she feel one ounce of guilt? He had realized over the years that the little girl he knew was disappearing, but this was really cutting it close.

"Well, I for one don't like it. I'm afraid that some of them might be getting very sick, and I'm worried for their sake. I can't believe you're having _this_ fun while they're suffering. I'm going to bed." Kureno said unusually fed up and irritated as he stomped out of the room.

"Kureno, wait! Don't just get up and leave! I want you here by me! You promised me you wouldn't leave my side!" Akito said reaching towards Kureno.

"I made that promise to a crying little child, and right now I don't see that child." Kureno said as he marched towards the other end of the hallway.

Akito froze in her spot. She had many emotions going through her right now, anger, betrayal, amazement, shock, disbelief, the list went on. Did Kureno just defy him? Why had he all of a sudden have a change of heart? He tortured the other before, but he hadn't said word until today._ There must something, something to change his way of thinking_. He knew that something was having an influence on Kureno, and he would do anything to find out.

That night, while Kureno was sleeping, Akito snuck into his room. He brought a little flashlight and looked through Kureno's things. He didn't find anything suspicious until he got to the book shelf. At first he found nothing but reference books, but then he found something wedged in between the dictionary and the thesaurus. It appeared to be a DVD that said, "Watch it by yourself, 'kay?" The little bunny symbol gave away who gave this to him, but he wondered why on earth Kureno would need to keep this a secret from him. He went back into his own room and put the movie into the DVD player. It appeared some of the zodiac members were attending a play. Why would this be a secret? Then he realized as the play started, that Yuki, Kyo, Tohru and two of Tohru's friends were in the play. He'd recognized Tohru's friends because he saw them with that girl at some point when he went to Yuki's school for a visit. He felt like he was wasting time watching this, but he had to know what secret this DVD held. Then she found it. Right in the middle of the play, Tohru's blonde friend shouted out "Come see me, Dammit!" His mind traveled back to that day where he let Kureno out for a couple hours. This girl must've met him, and fallen for him, and that's why the rabbit gave the DVD to Kureno. But for Kureno to have kept it instead of throwing it away must've meant…he likes the girl, too!

Akito wanted to scream and break every bone in Kureno's body, but he didn't want to wake him. He threw the DVD in the trash and got ready for bed. He had big plans for tomorrow. He'd need all his strength and energy to do it.

* * *

As Tohru walked home from school, her friends stayed close to her until she'd reached all the way home. They'd been extra protective ever since they found that awful scar on her back. They had briefly accused Shigure of abusing her, but Tohru denied it completely saying she got into an accident with her kitchen materials. It was a stretch, but it was a story they would buy. After dropping off Tohru, Arisa walked off on her own once Saki reached home. The clouds were very dark this afternoon, maybe it was going to rain. She was just about to turn the corner to her place, but right as she made the turn, her eyes met a pair of devilish eyes and a large club met the back of her head. Before she could react, she was out cold on the ground. Akito gave an evil ground and dragged the unconscious body back to the main house.

The next morning, Kureno walked towards Akito's room to wake him up. It wasn't healthy to sleep in like this.

"Akito, it's time to get up." Kureno said softly as he opened the door. Akito appeared to be motionless even at the sound of noise.

"Akito, c'mon, you can't sleep in all day." The sheets still didn't move. Kureno walked towards the bed to remove the sheets over Akito.

"You know, you really shouldn't… (GASP)." Kureno removed the sheets not to find Akito, but…ARISA! She was badly beaten, cuts all over, and bruises on her face and arms. Her skin was an unhealthy shade of white, and her lips were running cold. She wasn't moving at all. Kureno tried his best not to panic as he tried to feel for a pulse.

He gave a short sigh of relief when he could feel a small vein beating on her neck. She wasn't dead, but she needed medical attention immediately. He quickly called the hospital and they took her to the ER.

He impatiently walked around in circles as he waited for an update on her condition. An hour went by and he no longer felt the strength to stand. He had anchored himself in a chair when the nurse walked in.

"Well, Mr. Sohma, Ms. Uotani's vitals are stable at the moment, fortunately. Her damages were pretty severe, so we may need to keep her in the hospital for a couple days. She's falling in and out of consciousness, but she's not in any mortal danger. She's unconscious at the moment, but you may still see her." The nurse informed him.

Kureno walked into Arisa's hospital room to find her lying on the bed with IV tubes in her arms. She wasn't dead, but she looked like she was. Kureno's eyes swelled and tears ran off his cheek as he broke down in her hospital room. Why did he have to be so stupid?! Akito was behind this, no doubt. After he got angry with him a couple days ago, Akito had found out about them. How, he didn't know, but he knew Akito knew that he'd betrayed him, and now the girl he cared about was suffering from it. She didn't do anything wrong. She didn't even know that Kureno had promised himself to Akito! Why should she be punished for a crime she didn't commit? _This is all my fault_. _I just __**had**__ to take the day off. I just __**had**__ to go to the convenience_ _store. I just __**had**__ to bump into her and fall in love with her._ He had to get out of here now. Pretty soon, all of Arisa's friends would be informed and come straight here. If they found him, they'd know he was behind this. Right before Tohru and Saki rushed into the ER, Kureno fled out a side exit.

All the way home, he couldn't stop thinking about Arisa and Akito. Images of Akito beating Arisa flashed through his head as he tried to drive. Akito truly had no heart, no compassion, and no love inside of him. This time, Akito was not getting away with it so easily. Sure, he'd learn to accept it when Akito beat a member of the zodiac, because he knew that Akito was raised believing he could do whatever he wants to them, but when he messes with a _normal_ girl, that did not get past him so easily.

As he arrived back at the house, he knew he had to make it seemed like nothing had changed his way of thinking when he confronted Akito. As he walked into Akito's room, he was greeted by Akito's sinful smile.

"Oh, hello Kureno. How was your trip to the hospital?" Akito asked in his sly voice.

"She's…going to be fine." Kureno answered with his head down.

"It's a shame she had to go through all that trouble. It's all because _you_ had to pity her pathetic feelings for you. Did you REALLY think you could GET AWAY WITH THAT?!" Akito yelled as he slapped Kureno across the cheek.

"No. I was being selfish and stupid and I promise I'll never leave your side again. Plus, I apologize for what I said the other day. I'll always belong to you." Kureno said as he got down on his knees. Akito smiled believing he'd gotten what he wanted.

"Very well, then. I forgive you. Of course, now you know you'll never get another day off again." Akito said with a sinister chuckle as he hugged Kureno possessively.

"Now, Kureno, would you please get me something to drink? I'm parched after that little episode of yours." Akito ordered Kureno.

Kureno walked out of the room, and a look of discomfort covered his face. He had been nervous that Akito wouldn't fall for his bluff, but his work paid off. Still, Akito's arrogance and pride bothered him now more than ever. When he got to the kitchen, he opened the fridge to find…leftover nightmare elixir. It was as if fate was finally looking his way. Of course he knew that Akito would recognize the drink by its color, so he added so green food coloring to disguise it. Then Kureno took a cup of it and took it back to serve to Akito.

* * *

A/N: Okay first of all, I know I borrowed Kureno's torture from the Godfather, and Kureno is totally OOC, but that's what fan fiction is for. I also must inform you that the next chapter shall be the last. I told you before, ALL the zodiac members will suffer, God included.


	9. Chapter 9 Akito

Akito tossed and turned in bed. Akito's mind was scary before, but never to this extent. Deep down in the twisted mind of Akito, a vivid nightmare was appearing before the head of the family right before his very eyes.

It started out normally, Akito was just sitting in his cold dark room at a very quiet hour, but for some reason, he felt more alone than usual. Kureno was not in the corner; that was very strange. He walked out of his room, but he found no one. Not even the maids were there. He also noticed the birds did not sing this morning. It was complete silent, and Akito knew something was wrong.

He looked outside the window to find out why the birds were not singing, but he found more than he bargained for. Outside way in the distance, he saw a figure holding a large bag. He noticed the figure was walking away into a light fog. He snuck out the window and chased after the figure to see who it was. As he got closer, he saw the figure's blonde hair and toy bunny, Momiji!

"Momiji! Where…where do you think you're going?!" Akito interrogated angrily. Momiji just blinked, and his expression was neither cheery nor sad. It was…indifferent.

"I'm leaving." Momiji said soulessly as he turned back around in the direction he was heading.

"W-WHY? What makes you think you can DO that?! I am your GOD! You CANNOT leave me! Not even if you _try_!!" Akito exploded as he tugged on Momiji's shirt, ripping the collar. Momiji face didn't change. He just brushed Akito's hands off his shirt easily and continued to move.

"I just did." Momiji said as he disappeared into the fog. Akito tried to grab him, but all he got was a handful of air.

"NO!! Momiji, come BACK!! You're not just going to _leave_ me!!" Akito shouted to the empty space where his rabbit used to be.

"We all are." A familiar voice appeared behind Akito's back. He spun around to find, to his horror, _all_ of his precious Zodiac with packed bags. Everyone walked right past him; Hatori, Ayame, Ritsu, Kagura, Haru…everybody. He tried to stop them, but they didn't seem to be affected by how much he pulled them.

"You are NOT leaving! You _can't_!! I WON'T allow it!! I'll…I'll KILL YOU!!" Akito used every breath in his weak lungs to scream, but it did no help.

"You don't scare us anymore." Kisa said in the same monotonous tone that Momiji had as she held Hiro's hand.

"Yeah, and we don't need you." Hiro added. These cruel, heartless words broke his heart, but what angered him even more was when Rin walked by. She didn't say anything, but she gave a smug look as she pulled Haru to her hips, who in turn put his arm around Rin's shoulder as they marched away from Akito.

Akito turned to see Kureno, him of all people, also with a briefcase, walking away. She ran over and clutched at his coat.

"Kureno…how…how can you do this to me? Your promise…" Akito said as if he was a small little child again, but Kureno's eyes were not sympathetic like last time. In fact, he threw Akito off his jacket and onto the cold, wet grass.

"I don't see that child." Kureno repeated from their conversation a while back as he followed the others toward freedom. As Akito lay on the ground, he felt he had been broken into a million pieces. This was his worst fear before his eyes! As he got up, he realized everyone was way ahead of him. He got up and chased them, calling their names.

"Kureno! Hatori! Haru! Hiro! Kagura! Ritsu! Ayame! Kisa! RIN! All of you!! Come back to me!! Don't leave me!! Don't LEAVE!!" Akito cried out, but his Zodiac just got farther and farther away. He ran faster, but they didn't get any closer. Finally, they disappeared into the horizon, never to be seen again. Akito fell to his knees, and broke down in uncontrollable tears. _Gone, they're all gone. They left me. I prayed this day would never come. Now, I'm nothing. I'm completely worthless. Nothing could make this even worse._ But, Akito was dead wrong.

Suddenly, Akito saw a tree nearby, and a person sitting under it. He ran over to it, hoping it was someone to keep him company. However, as soon as he got close enough, he gasped and stopped in his tracks. Then, he made an evil glare.

"Ren!" Akito spat out his mother's name like a swear word.

"Hello, Akito. It's so nice to watch you in your defeat. I was right, wasn't I? They all left, and now you're all alone, just as you're supposed to be, because no one needs a worthless child like you!" Ren got up and rubbed it in Akito's face. Akito remained silent, but his blood boiled within his veins

"They're all gone, now! I told you so! Now you're all alone!" Ren cheered in her evil manner as she burst into a maniacal fit of laughter. Her laugh rung louder in Akito's ears, which sent him to the ground again. All he could hear was the witch's cackle and the Zodiac's last words to her.

_I just did._

_You don't scare us, anymore._

_We don't need you._

_I don't see that child._

_Now you're all alone!_

"DIE, YOU DEVIOUS WHORE!!" Akito burst in a fit of anxiety, and pulled out a knife from his kimono and stabbed Ren multiple times all over her body.

Ren's laughter paused for a minute as blood poured from her many wounds. At first, she was quiet, and Akito smiled in victory, but that victory was short-lived. As the blood gushed out from Ren's open cuts, her entire body began to disintegrate. Ren gave a devilish grin as her eyes glowed red.

"You stupid FOOL! You don't realize what you've done! Now, I shall be reunited with my Akira! We shall live happily in our afterlives together without you! And you! Since, you have committed the great sin of matricide, you will BURN IN HELL!!" Ren proclaimed as the last of her body turned to dust and blew away with wind as her evil laugh echoed through Akito's ears.

Akito tried to grab some of the witch's ashes, but he got nothing. His system went completely haywire as he clutched his knife and emitted a loud scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Akito screamed as loud as he possible could, then, he felt very weak, and collapsed on the ground.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in his own dark room. He immediately got up and stormed out the door. As he marched into the kitchen, he saw Kureno casually drinking a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Akito." Kureno said as part of his daily routine. Akito grabbed the cup of coffee and smashed in on the ground, spreading thousand of broken pieces of glass around the floor. Then he kicked Kureno hard, sending him to the floor as well.

"You heartless traitor! You gave me the nightmare elixir! WHY?!" Akito exclaimed.

"Because, you hurt an innocent girl. Arisa never did anything to you." Kureno said as he lay on the floor looking at Akito as if trying to send some guilt into him. Akito just grabbed a piece of broken glass and slit Kureno's pale cheeks with it.

"She turned you away from me!" Akito yelled as he was just about to pierce Kureno's chest with the glass. Before he did, he suddenly got a dizzy feeling. He noticed that everything was changing colors and the room was spinning. Then, a blinding flash of light made everything disappear. Then he heard someone call out his name.

"Akito…Akito…"

The light cleared up to reveal Hatori staring at her. And he, he was still in his bed.

"Hatori? What's going on?" Akito asked weary-eyed.

"You were sleeping in; a lot actually, you've been out for 12 hours straight. Everyone was getting worried." Hatori explained.

"How is everybody?" Akito asked. He was confused now. What had and what hadn't happened?

"Um, I guess nothing out of the ordinary. Shigure and Ayame are coming to see me in a couple hours, and Yuki and Kyo still live with Shigure, and Tohru. Why are you asking, anyway?" Hatori said in a confused manner.

"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about this wonderful dream I had, or at least it was nice until this last part. Oh well, the ending doesn't matter. I'm just glad to see everyone still stays by me." Akito said thinking back to the beginning of his dream. Hatori still didn't understand.

"Well, Akito, this 12 hour sleep is not normal. We have to find out what made you sleep this long." Hatori said changing the subject. Then, he noticed the little orange pill box on the nightstand.

"Akito, how many of those pills did you take?" Hatori said as he examined the pill box.

"Two a day, just like you said." Akito replied.

"No, I said once every two days. Well that explains it, you overdosed!" Hatori said.

"Well, you could've made that more clear!" Akito groaned loudly.

"Be more careful, next time." Hatori said as he left.

Akito still lay in bed, reminiscing about the glorious first few hours of the dream. Yes, it wasn't real._ But it could be. Everything except that last part. I can make it real. I can do anything._

"Kureno, come to me." Akito called his former bird. He moved himself right next to Akito's bedside.

"Kureno, you'll always be by my side no matter what, right?" Akito reassured himself.

"Yes." Kureno said.

"And you'll do whatever I ask of you?"

"Yes."

Akito gave a devious smile, "Then, Kureno, go get my coat. We need to go to the store to pick up some…supplies."

**THE END**


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